BY J. DOUGLAS OGILBY. 179 



subsequently to the writing of my note on this species, informs 

 me that he has decided to describe the South Australian fish as 

 distinct under the name of C. stirlingi ; (2) the propriety of 

 separating the three alleged species of Acanthias, the characters of 

 which I find to vary greatly ; and (3) the specific value of Pristio- 

 phorus nudipinnis. 



In connection with the synonymy I have felt it incumbent 

 upon me to alter the names of the following genera : — Notidanus 

 to Heptanchus, Scyllium to Scylliorhinus, and Rhina to Squatina. 



NOTIDANID-^. 



Heptanchus, Ratinesque (1810). 



21. H. iNDicus, Cuv., sp. Coast of New South Wales, common. 



The " Seven-gilled Shark." Victoria, one of the rarer 

 sharks in Hobson's Bay {Mc Coy). Tasmania {AUport, MS.). 

 Rafinesque's excellent name having the priority of that 

 of Cuvier by several years, I can see no reason whatever 

 for its rejection, and I therefore unhesitatingly adopt it. 

 The increased number of the gill-openings being the more 

 important of the two principal differences between this 

 and the two preceding families, I am at a loss to under- 

 stand — seeing that a genus is merely a number of species, 

 having two or more characters in common, placed in 

 juxta-position for the sake of convenience — how Rafin- 

 esque's two generic names can be ignored. 



SCYLLIID^. 



Scylliorhinus, Blainville (1816). 



22. S. MACULATUS, Bl.Sckn., sp. North-western coast of 



Australia. Bramble Bay {Brit. Mus.). Port Darwin 

 {Macleay Mus). The genus Scylliorhinus having been 

 established by Blainville in 1816, takes precedence of 

 Cuvier's Scyllium by thirteen years, and must therefore 

 be retained. 



